Paula announced that the main topic of discussion would be certain additions to the NFO standard, being presented to SVERAK by the Swedish judges' commission for proposal to the FIFé General Assembly. As it appeared that this proposal had a good chance of being adopted, the meeting would take the occasion to become familiar with it. The proposal was drafted by Jörgen Frithioff, based on evaluations of the study groups at the FIFé Forest Cat Seminar in Hörby, Sweden, 3 May 1990. Several of those who attended that seminar were also present in Milan.
HEAD
The first change was to add the following under the description of the head: 'with good height when seen in profile; forehead slightly rounded'. This would make FIFé's the only standard to employ this description - AACE and TICA both state specifically that 'the frontal skull is flat'.
Judith Zuurfeld had been at Hørby and explained that the description 'flat' for the forehead seemed to the breeders to indicate an elongated nose. It was felt there should be a curve beginning just above what would be the brow on a human face. The AACE and TICA standards would allow no curve, which the meeting had felt was undesirable, going too much towards the Oriental look.
Paula recalled that at last year's World Show meeting there was considerable discussion of the of the correct Forest Cat profile. People were asking where the profile stops and the forehead starts, or whether the concept of profile includes the forehead together with the nose. [You may read about this in the Poznan World Show report, where you will also find some photos and drawings to ilustrate the discussion.]
Judith showed a drawing from the 'general' section of the FIFé standard book. [I have found this illustration only in the German edition of the 'red book'.- Paula] Applicable to all feline breeds, it labels the various part of the cat in three languages, so that, in theory, judges shoud experience no confusion over what is meant by reference to the skull ot the muzzle or whatever. She pointed out , however, that it is difficult to to see precisely where the nose stops and the forehead begins. This is open to interpretation. The standards need more develpoment, and the judges' commitee is trying to improve them.
Richard Herrmann (F) (also attended the Hörby meeting) asked what purpose the standards actually serve. Are they binding rules or guidelines for judges? If they become too detailed, judges could lose their freedom of judgement. We don't want to end up with the 'Maine Coon syndrome', where all the cats look just alike because the standard is so detailed. As Paula said, 'our cats should conform to the standard, but they should not all look like clones of one another.? She continued, however, that although the standards should not become a prison, a bit more detail might offer greater guidance. She felt that in addition to serving as guidelines for juges, they should also help educate beginning breeders to form their tastes.
Richard noted that many winning cats meet the standards but lack the NFO look; others with the proper look conform less to the standard. This shows that the standard is more a tool than a binding set of instructions. [More later about 'the look'.]
EARS
The proposed new standard would add the words 'large' and 'pointed' to describe the ears. This is in contrast to some of the other associations (CFA abd TICA) which call for medium to large ears, rounded at the tips. The lynx-like tufts, considered desirable but not a requirement by AACE, CFA, and TICA, do not seem optional in FIFé and GCCF, where they are simply described as part of the standard. Paula noted that these tufts are said to amplify hearing in the lynx; if they serve the same purpose in the Forest Cat, they fall within those points of the standard, such as the double coat and big feet, that are actually survival characteristics, and should therfore be obligatory.
Referring to the report of the Hørby meeting, Paula said there had been some disagreement over the proper length of the ears. Some people had remarked that ears close to the head would be less vulnerable to the cold, but others felt that long ears would be no disadvantage if they were properly furred and tufted.
Keith Warboys (UK), also a Hörby participant, said there had been specific interest there to avoid rounded ears, and Jette Eva Madsen confirmed that the original requirement for rounded ears in the American standards had been to differentiate the Forest Cat from the Maine Coon.
Paula pointed out that there had been no change in the proposal's wording on ear placement, but that there had been a great deal of debate on the subject in Hørby.
Sandra Lantairès (F) said that many confuse 'high' with 'parallel'. If the ears were set too high they would no longer follow the line of the triangle. It is normal for them to be high, but not so high as to be parallel with one another, and this is especially important for kittens.
Paula noted that the Hørby groups gave some attention to the Forest Cat's appearance at different stages of maturity. For example, young cats may have proportionately longer ears and a longer triangle before the head widens with age, and some thought that judges should allow for this - but nothing to this effect was included in the final proposal. She asked Judith whether she would allow for age ina cat she was judging. Judith said she would, even though this is not explicit in the standard. She is disturbed to see the ears too low, even in an older cat - in a kitten she would tolerate higher ears, though not parallel ones.
Paula recalled that Judith, on an earlier occasion, had said that although a judge might see a kitten's star potential, she is obliged to give or withhold the certificate on the basis of how the kitten meets the standard requirements at present, even though the standard is written for the adult cat. She thought it would be good to re-instate the 'remarks' section in the standard, and noted that the Maine Coon standard makes allowances for age, sex, and seasonal coat variation.
Jette noted that such remarks - females being proportionately smaller than males, length and density of coat varying with the seasons, etc. - apply to all breeds, and judges should be aware of them automatically. She thought a chapter should be added for larger breeds, but felt there was no need to adopt specific remarks for the NFO.
Paula agreed with this basic argument, but still thought that certain traits specific to the Forest Cat might be appropriately mentioned for the judges' reference. For exmple, if kittens are actually judged on the basis of a standard drafted for adult cats, it might be fair to specify that the triangle may not be perfectly equilateral in a young Norwegian because its head is still growing.
Judith said that when she first read the MCO standard she was impressed by the fact that the statement about 'type prevailing over color' proved irrelevant when you noticed that no points were awarded for color.
Paula commended those working on the Hørby proposal for being cautious. It would be a shame to rush into hasty additions that might need to be changed again in a couple of years. Jette recalled that the last change to the standard had been to take out a confusing reference to ear placement. Judith thought it could still be better - maybe 'high placement along the line of the head'? Christina Hoerter (I) said that the words 'so that' implied a link between the two ideas. {Full text: 'Placement: high and open, so that the outer lines of the ears follow the line of the head down to the chin.']
Richard said that the way the standard is interpreted is very important for giving guidance to those who follow afterwards.
Lee Swepston (CH) asked whether there was any attempt to compile show judgements to provide guidelines for judges, Is there any group or official body that might be interested in doing this? Judith found this an important possibility, and cited Mr. Ole Magne Grytvik, chairman of the judges' commission, as among FIFé officials especially interested in this kind of record-keeping. But it would be a huge amount of work.
Judith went on to disagree with Richard's earlier point about the standard's being too binding. She feels it too be too open at present, and that it would be better if it were to provide more specific guidance. Keith said this would also be useful for breeders. Christina remarked that leaving the standards too open and with no authoritative interpretation left room also for cats to develop in a way not envisaged by the standards. Paula stated that in France the breed has changed quite a bit in the last few years, from a square frame and roundish head in some lines to the longer body and more correct triangle seen today. In the drafting of the first standard it was necessary to leave room for flexibility during the early stages of the breed's development. 'Yes', said Judith 'we have grown up!'
The 'LOOK'
Paula remarked that this was undefinable, but is an impression that goes beyond the standard. She thinks it has to do with the eyes and ears. Richard used the word 'charisma'. A particularly expressive quotation from one of the Hørby study groups says that the Forest Cat looks as though he is going to eat you - and then he comes up and licks your face!
EYES
The word 'oval' is added to the description of eye shape ['large and oval, well-opened, set slightly oblique']. There was a great deal of discussion in Hörby as to whether 'oval' or 'almond-shaped' eyes sounded better. AACE, CFA, and TICA all say 'almond-shaped', but there was some feeling that the use of 'oval' makes more of a distinction between the Forest Cat and the Turkish Angora, described in FIFé as having almond-shaped eyes. In the final analysis, the present group feels there is not a lot of difference. [For the record, the Maine Coon's eyes are described as 'slighly oval, but not almond-shaped, appear round when wide open', and the Siberian's as 'large, slightly oval-shaped'.] Richard remarked that eyes can be straight across the top and still be oval.
Paula noted that a lot of concern was evident in the Hørby report to maintain the Forest Cat's 'harmony'; the eyes should be set slightly oblique but not too slanted, tails should be long enough but not so long that they wind up weak and subject to tail faults.
BODY
The proposal adds the description 'strong' for the legs, and for the first time adds a statement concerning the paws, which should be 'large, round, in proportion to the legs'. Paula said she would have liked to see a mention of the fur between the toes and on the bottom of the feet, and recalled the story of a breeder who sold a kitten to people who said they were clipping this 'snowshoe' hair, because they were afraid it made it hard for the cat to walk. (This caused some laughter.)
Keith said there was a lot of discussion in Hørby about strongly built legs and large paws in proportion to the legs. Judith said that you sometimes see very large feet on thin ankles, so large feet are not enough in themselves. Their size must continue up into the legs, to asorb shock when the cat jumps down from a height. Paula said the feet had to be large and strong - she had seen her kittens using the strong muscles in their paws to climb rock walls in her basement, though they became too heavy to do this later.
TAIL
The proposal adds 'at least to the shoulder blades but preferably to the neck', where the present standard says only 'Should reach to the neck'. The new wording is taken from GCCF. Paula asks about the shape of the tail - she had heard that Maine Coons have a tail that is fluffier and more rounded at the end, while the NFO tail tapers to a point. Jette and Richard both said this is only an illusion. Judith explained that it has to do with the structure of the fur on the tail - for the MCO, without the undercoat, the fur flows and falls differently from the Forest Cat's, giving the appearance of a different shape, but actually the tails of the two breeds are not more or less pointed or rounded.
COAT
The words 'long, coarse' have been added here to describe the guard hairs. Paula said that the word coarse has unpeasant connotations in English, and she wished they could have found another expression. However, as the word seems to be universally understood in cat parlance to apply to the ideal fur texture sought in the Forest Cat, no harm seems to be done. It is used in the MCO standard as well, and Judith says it should be removed from that one, since the Maine Coon should have silkier fur than the Forest Cat. Jette emphasized the problem of non-English speakers drafting standards in English. Richard said it would be good to add drawings for some things, though not, of course, for fur quality, and Jette said they were still working on it. Leefelt that drawings could be too precise and could add rigidity to the standard.
Paula asked about another term seen in some Forest Cat standards: 'deep flanks'. It is not used in FIFé but occurs in CFA and TICA. Jette said it is often used for Abyssinians andmeans that the region abovrethe hips should not be too thin.
FAULTS
For the ears, note the balanced approach: set 'too wide apart' and 'too close together' would both be considered faults. 'Thin legs' would be added as a fault, also a coat that is 'too silky'.
Jette questioned the need to detail these faults- General faults applicable to all breeds are listed in the FIFé red book. As for faults more specific to a particular breed, if a trait is required in a breed standard, is lack should automatically be considered a fault- Another participant (name unknown) said that there was a logical contradiction in the wording of the NFO proposal, between 'long and coarse' on the one hand and not 'too silky' on the other - the first would seem to imply that it should not be silky at all.
Under 'TOTAL'
The 'size of the ear was added, along with 'expression' for the eyes, and legs and shape of the paws.
Paula noted that the Norsk Skogkattring, Norway has now expressed its support for the new proposal. She wondered whether the General Assembly would have the possibility of discussing and perhaps amending the proposal, or if it would have to be adopted or rejected as it stands. Jette said that FIFé would be able to put in amendments, but that past practice indicated they would probably return it to the working group if they found problems. Judith added that the FIFé General Assembly lasts two or three days, preceeded by committee meetings where discussions are possible. Committees have the authority to make changes in the proposals before them, but in practice do not do so.
Paula said that Margarete Leleithner (D) (not present at the meeting) would like to see the remarks section reinstated; they were in the original standard, but for some reason were eliminated later. Ulrike Wahl confirmed that Germany was considering a proposal to add remarks.
Keith said that the fact that Sweden had put forward the proposal did not necessarily mean that other countries would accept it. Forest Cat breed clubs should decide for themselves whether or not they agree with the current proposa. If they then want the proposal to succeeed in the General Assembly, they should ask their pedigree clubs to support it.
OTHER SUBJECTS
Midway through the meeting, a fax was delivered with a report from the Norsk Skogkattring. Unfortunately, only the first page of this report came through and a complete copy has not been received at this writing. Still, a quick glance at the first page showed that a group of breeders in Norway is making a study of the NFO health situation.
NFO Health questions
Problems mentioned included cryptochordism (testicle not descending) and tail faults.
The writers of the NSR report felt that stiffness in the last vertebrae; of the tail should perhaps not be considered a true fault. There was considerable disagreement with this among those present in Milan! Paula said that it was sometimes difficult for the layman to recognze tail deformities, that they are sometimes first discovered by show judges. In countries where breeders are required to qualify their cats before using them for reproduction, there is less risk of passing along tail faults or of breeding from a male with testicular anomaly. She added that in France the rule was that males had to receive at least an 'Excellent' in open class before being bred (though not, perversely, the females), and that in Switzerland both sexes had to be shown. Some countries, however, have no restrictions.
[Update 2002: In the days following the Milan meeting I requested the full text of this report to be sent to me at home. I was disappointed that Norsk Skogkattring made no further attempt to send it to me, and I have never heard any more details about this study. - Paula]
Jette said she had been contacted recently from the USA about Glycogen Storage Disease (GSD). Paula said that Dr. Fyfe is still stdying this, and that American Forest Cat breeders are being encouraged to send him blood samples from their cats. It is a problem unique to the Forest Cat breed, and seems to have arisen from a mutation that occurred in the U.S. At this time it is not known to be present in Europe, but if European breeders import cats from the U.S. it could easilly come to affect us as well. Barbara Warboys (UK) said that some people now maintain that GSD came from European lines, but no one knew of any specific instances in Europe.
Referring to a concern expressed in past World Show meetings Paula reminded the group of the importance of avoiding hybridization, as the genetic defects of one breed may so easily be carried into another. GSD, for example, could be transmitted from the NFO to another breed, as Progressive Retinal Atrophy came to us by way of a part Somali novice. She told of an independent Forest Cat breeder (TICA) in France who had imported a Munchkin from the United States and had been planning to mate it with a Forest Cat in order to improve the Munchkin head shape. Other French Forest Cat breeders had been horrified on hearing of this and did their best to discourage him. No word on whether or not he actually went through with this dubious project. Paula pointed out that the FIFé standard for the Siberian contains the remark: 'Any crossing with other breeds prohibited' and wondered if this would be a good addition to the NFO standard. Judith informed the meeting that the general FIFé standards do not in any case allow cross-breed mating. Richard said that TICA does allow them.
Future Forest Cat meetings
Paula said that no questionnaire had been circulated this year because so many people said they were tired of it - and so was she! Did the group think it would be useful next year? Jette said it was good to have regularly-collected statistics, even if they were not always precise. Paula commented on the low return rate for information, and particularly on the perennial problem in most countries of getting pedigree information out of national secretariats. She outlined the usual contents of the questionnaire: how many cats born during the last year; what colors were most popular; problems with type; health and genetic disorders encountered. In the latter case, many are reluctant to give details for fear of having the information used against them. Nelly Brosselard (CH) agreed that it was difficult to reveal health problems unless others did.
Paula recalled that the two biggest questions discussed the last couple of years had been whether or not breeders wanted to allow the so-called 'new colors' and whether to reintroduce the use of novice cats. The response to both had been consistently negative.
Jette reported that Norway had mentioned in their fax that general interest in the cat fancy there was down at the moment. It would be interesting to hear of similar trends in other countries. Paula said that the Swiss clubs had been reporting less interet in signing up for shows, but Jette thought this was probably due to the increasing number of shows scheduled - where there were once only three shows a year there might now be 17. The total number of cats shown is up, but the average numer of cats per show is lower. With regard to Norway, Paula spoke of an e-mail from Ulla Ollendorf, former chairman of NSR, in which Ulla had speculated that some NFO breeders seemed to be losing interest because they were no longer able to work with novice cats.
Paula had heard a number of breeders complain that it was becoming harder to sell kittens. The UK participants confirmed this and Nelly said that in Switzerland there were many more kittens being registered than previously. Jette noted that in Denmark the numbers of kittens bred was up, but that they still managed to sell them - but that it might soon be necessary for breeders as a group to start restricting the numbers of kittens born. Paula commented on the many ambitious new breeders who buy lots of cats when they are just starting out, without taking the time to learn about breeding or to develop their own taste for what the ideal Forest Cat should look like. More experienced breeders have an obligation to help them learn.
Richard remarked that, while all this is true, if we want to improve the breed we do have to breed kittens - and in any case there is no way to stop people from doing it. In France, he said, hobby breeders would be practically forbidden by the end of the year because of new tax controls and licensing regulations being brought in. A Swiss breeder said that similar regulations have been instituted in Switzerland as well. Jette said that official rules are all very well, but that breeders themselves must exercise self control. As she put it, 'It is not necessary for every breeder to have ten female cats and for each female to have two litters every year.' Paula said that NFO breed clubs should help new breeders learn the technical side of breeding, but that not all of them seem to do so.
Adjournment of the meeting
The meeting ended at 3:45 p.m., with a general expression of thanks to Paula for her efforts in organizing it. Paula thanked Anna Brandi and the Italian club Norsk Skogkattring Italia for helping with the arrangements, and wished everyone a safe trip home.
Congratulations to World Winner Adult Cat: Remis Felis Jubatus,
bred by Jette Eva Madsen and owned by Ulrike Wahl!
Update
SVERAK did accepted the Hörby adjustments to the NFO standard as one of its three proposals, and, along with Germany's proposal for the inclusion of a 'remarks' section, was adopted by the 1999 FIFé General Assembly. This is the Norwegian Forest Cat standard we are using in FIFé today.
Another proposal to SVERAK, concerning the adoption of the colors lilac, chocolate, cinnamon, and fawn, was withdrawn.
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